


Secret

by mimosa-supernova (FourCatProductions)



Series: Femslash February 2020 [3]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Emotional Manipulation, F/F, Femslash February, Maven Being Terrible, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:41:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22609459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FourCatProductions/pseuds/mimosa-supernova
Summary: Everyone has one.
Relationships: Maven Black-Briar/Laila Law-Giver
Series: Femslash February 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1626805
Comments: 8
Kudos: 9





	Secret

_“Are you sure you’re alright, my lady? You look – “_

_“I’m fine, Anuriel, truly. Just a little faint. It’s this dreadful heat, you know.”_

_“Should I postpone this afternoon’s court?”_

_“Please. I’m just going to lie down for a bit.”_

_“Of course, my lady. I’ll tell Umid you’re not to be disturbed.”_

She is not fine. Not sick, no, but feverish, bordering on addled – why else would a woman of her stature, with her responsibilities, shirk them for no other reason than to spend a few more hours in bed?

(She knows the answer, of course. She locks the door.)

“Back so soon?” Maven sounds amused. She hasn’t bothered to dress, still lounging on the pillows with only the sheets to cover her. A copy of _The Firmament_ lays open in her lap, a plate of sliced apples and cheese next to her on the nightstand. Most people look different naked – softer, more vulnerable – but not Maven. She shuts the book, arches her elegant brows. “I had no idea governing our fair hold was so simple a task.”

“There’s nothing pressing today.” Laila’s mouth is dry. She can’t remember if there’s anything important on the docket or not, her head swimming when she catches a whiff of Maven’s perfume. If there is, surely Anuriel will take care of it.

“There’s always something pressing,” Maven says, and crooks a finger. “Come here.”

Laila slips off her boots and ceremonial cloak, hanging it neatly on the peg by the door. If she takes her time, she can calm her trembling hands, soothe her rabbit heart. She can pretend she’s stronger than she is – that if Maven told her to, she wouldn’t crawl to her own bed on her hands and knees. When she sinks onto the mattress, Maven reaches out and brushes her hair away from her face, caressing her cheek. Backlit by the sun pouring through the window, her black hair shimmers, her skin like marble. She leans in and presses a deliberate kiss to Laila’s neck, just below her jaw. Laila’s breath catches. Maven smiles against her skin.

“Still, now that you have the rest of the day off, we may as well make use of it. Wouldn’t you agree?”

This is a bad idea. It has been since the night Maven kissed her up against her own door and Laila realized she wanted somebody for the first time since her husband died. She’s supposed to be an impartial ruler, fair to all her citizens; sleeping with the richest businesswoman in the Rift represents a conflict of interest, no matter how good the Black-Briar Meadery is for their economy. Not to mention what her children might think –

Maven’s fingers are soft when they tilt her chin up, sending her thoughts scattering in all directions. The kiss is hard, wet with a hint of teeth. “Well?” she murmurs when they pull apart, and Laila’s finding it harder to object by the second. Not when she’s being maneuvered into Maven’s lap, one hand stroking her inner thigh over her breeches and the other sliding into her hair. “What do you think?”

“Yes,” Laila whispers.

The apple slices glisten on the plate, crisp white fruit robed in dark red skin. Maven eats one, then offers her the second. Laila eats it as slow as she dares, pulse pounding. The fingers on her lips linger until she licks them clean.

“Good girl.” Maven’s free hand rucks up her robes, curls in the waistband of her breeches. She's smiling. “Now, take these off. I believe I have some rather pressing business to attend to…”


End file.
